sententious

[ sen-ten-shuhs ]

/ sɛnˈtɛn ʃəs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sententious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims: a sententious book.

given to excessive moralizing; self-righteous.

given to or using pithy sayings or maxims: a sententious poet.

of the nature of a maxim; pithy.

Nearby words

sentential, sentential calculus, sentential connective, sentential function, sententially, sententious, sententiously, senti, sentience, sentient, sentiently

Origin of sententious

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin sententiōsus meaningful. See sentence, -ous

SYNONYMS FOR sententious

2 preachy, didactic, sanctimonious, moralistic.

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Related forms

sen·ten·tious·ly, adverbsen·ten·tious·ness, sen·ten·ti·os·i·ty

[sen-ten-shee-os-i-tee] /sɛnˌtɛn ʃiˈɒs ɪ ti/, nounnon·sen·ten·tious, adjectivenon·sen·ten·tious·ly, adverb

non·sen·ten·tious·ness, nounun·sen·ten·tious, adjectiveun·sen·ten·tious·ly, adverbun·sen·ten·tious·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sententious

I heard these for some time, interspersed with sententious eulogies upon particular persons, and references to isolated events.
Campaigns of a Non-Combatant,|George Alfred Townsend
"Avarice supersedes enterprise," added the sententious Augustus.
Paul Clifford, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The sententious passages, the occurrence of which we previously noted in the Queen's Arcadia, likewise appear.
Pastoral Poetry and Pastoral Drama|Walter W. Greg
Maria spoke in a sort of sententious wisdom which did not satisfy me at all.
Daisy|Elizabeth Wetherell

He is generally so sententious—fond of aphorisms, and a very deliberate character.
How I Found Livingstone|Henry M. Stanley

British Dictionary definitions for sententious

sententious

/ (sɛnˈtɛnʃəs) /

adjective

characterized by or full of aphorisms, terse pithy sayings, or axioms

constantly using aphorisms, etc

tending to indulge in pompous moralizing

Derived Forms

sententiously, adverbsententiousness, noun

Word Origin for sententious

C15: from Latin sententiōsus full of meaning, from sententia; see sentence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012